How To Save A Life
by 2lieutenant
Summary: Tully tries to help a friend.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Rat Patrol or profit from writing.**

 **Author's Note: I wrote this story after someone I knew died from a drug overdose. Private Richard Carlson is a figment of my imagination. This story's title was based after the song The Fray wrote. I cry every time I hear it.**

Tully headed to the hospital to visit his friend, Private Richard Carlson. The two had met during basic training then had lost touch. Tully had been very happy when he had seen Rick show up. Rick had been shot during a reconnaissance mission.

Tully entered and stood in the doorway. His eyes had to adjust to the darkness before he could spot his friend.

"Hey, Rick. How are you feeling?"

Rick's eyes lit up at the sight of his friend. "Like I'm at a baseball game, but I'm the baseball."

Tully chuckled. "I brought you some bubblegum from Hitch. The rest of the team are briefing Captain Boggs, otherwise they would have come too."

Private Carlson waved his hand. "That's all right. Too much noise makes my head hurt, anyway."

"How long will you stay here?"

"Only for a couple more days, the doctor says the bullet didn't go in too far. I'll be fine in a couple weeks."

Tully noticed his friend was starting to look tired, so he said, "I better get going. I'll see you in a couple days. We're going on another mission soon."

Rick waved goodbye.

A few days later, Rick was released. Tully had just gotten back from his mission when he spotted Rick coming toward him. His arm was bleeding.

"What's wrong?" Tully asked.

"I cut my arm. Can I use your first aid kit? The hospital's kind of full, and I don't want to bother them for a mere scratch."

"Sure," Tully replied. He got it from the jeep and gave it to Rick. "Put it back when you're done. With how frequently Hitch gets injured, you never know when we'll need it."

Rick nodded, "Okay, thanks."

The next week, Hitch got grazed by a bullet. When Moffit went to clean the wound, he noticed the morphine from the kit was missing.

"Troy, the morphine is missing. Did you take it out?"

"No, I didn't touch it."

"Maybe it fell out."

Tully listened to this exchange with troubled eyes, but said nothing. When they got back to the base, Tully went to find Private Carlson. He first went to his room, but finding it empty, he headed to the mess hall. Once there, he asked if anyone knew where Private Carlson was.

Rick's roommate nodded, "You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

"He had a cut in his arm and it got infected. He's in the hospital."

"Thanks." Tully rushed to the hospital. He found Rick, but he was sleeping, so Tully couldn't talk to headed back to the mess hall to eat lunch with his friends. He stared listlessly ahead and didn't eat much. Moffit noticed Tully's strange behavior. When they were alone he asked Tully if he was all right.

Tully nodded, "I'm fine, Sarge." He hesitated, "Well, I don't know. You know how that morphine was missing?"

"Yes."

"Well, Rick asked if he could borrow the first aid kit to patch up his knife wound. He claimed the hospital was really busy, and didn't want to bother them. But today, Rick's roommate said he was in the hospital because of the knife wound. I don't want to jump to conclusions but..." He trailed off.

Moffit looked thoughtful. "It does raise suspicions. I would just be careful and watch him for any erratic behavior. If it turns out he's perfectly innocent, you wouldn't want him to think you had suspected him."

"Okay, I'll do that, Sarge. Thanks."

The next few days, Tully watched Rick carefully. He didn't notice anything suspicious until he saw Rick take out something from the medical supplies he was carrying and put it in his pocket. Tully followed him until he ducked behind a building. Rick crushed the pill and started to inhale it when Tully cried, "No don't do that, Rick!"

Rick turned around a guilty but angry expression I on his face. "This isn't what it looks like," he began.

"No?" Tully countered, "Then what it is it?"

Rick got angry and flustered. "You don't understand. I need this. I can't not have it. I start to shake and my nerves can't take it. This is the only thing that helps me. Now, leave me alone."

"Don't do it. You can get over this. I'll help you. My friends will help you. This isn't good for you. It will ruin your body. Please stop." Tully placed at pleading hand on Rick's arm. Rick jerked away.

"Leave me alone. I can't get help. They'll throw me out or the army." He turned and left.

Tully watched him go with sorrowful eyes. He went in search of Moffit. "I was right, Sarge. He is addicted to morphine. I didn't ask him if he was the one who took the morphine out of the kit, but I'm pretty sure it was him. You know, Doc, he was so different. Angry, and very self defensive. He wasn't the same Rick I knew in basic training."

"Addiction can do that, Tully. What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. If I tell the MPs they'll arrest him and he'll get thrown out of the army."

"What's worse: getting thrown out of the army, or dying from a drug overdose."

Tully nodded, "I guess you're right,Sarge. I'll tell the MPs right after I talk to Rick again. I don't want to turn him in without giving him a second chance."

"Alright, Tully."

Each time the next day, Tully saw Rick, he tried to persuade him to get help. Rick was adamant no one could help him. Tully made up his mind to tell the MPs the next morning.

The next day, there was a knock on his door. It opened to reveal Moffit.

"I'm going to the MPs right now, Sarge. I hope they can help him." Tully looked at Moffit's face, "What's wrong?"

Moffit spoke slowly, "Tully, Rick died this morning from an aspirin overdose. He was found in his cot this morning."

"No. If only I had gone sooner. He'd still be alive. It's my fault, Sarge. I should have gone sooner." Tully buried his head in his hands.

Moffit tried to console him. "It's not your fault, Tully. You tried to help him. You had no way of knowing this would happen."

"I should have gotten him help sooner."

"Look, Tully. The doctor said he would have died soon even if you had gotten help sooner. He couldn't find any more morphine, so he overdosed on aspirin instead. The doctor estimated he had taken it about 36 hours before he died. There's no way you could have known about him. So stop blaming yourself. Okay?"

Tully looked up,"Alright, Sarge."

Tully had a hard time getting over the feeling of blame. But with Moffit's help, he slowly started to realize it hadn't been his fault and he had tried to help Rick.

Tully resolved to remember Private Richard Carlson as a good friend and soldier.


End file.
